Project:

A University in South West England was having serious performance issues with three chillers in one of their plant rooms – where only one of them worked at all, and that only worked intermittently.  The University was prepared to replace all three commercial chillers at a cost of £200,000 to remedy this issue, as they were protecting key critical infrastructure such as large server rooms supporting the effective running of the University and education provision.

The brief:

Following consultation and advice from the team at ADEY Commercial, system water samples were taken and analysis was conducted to help identify the cause of the issues being experienced.  Water samples are taken from dynamic points on the system which have continuous water flow – it is important not to take water samples from ‘dead legs’ or static/low flow points in the system as this might lead to an inaccurate reading of overall system health due to an excessive amount of debris gathering at this point which may not be representative of the whole system.  Location of a drain/binder point will allow capture of a suitable water sample. The ADEY Commercial Diagnostics Test Kit contains two sample bottles, providing the opportunity for two water samples to be taken from a large system, or one sample each from the primary and secondary system. Both samples can then be analysed to reach a comprehensive view of system health. 

The solution:

The University system test samples were sent to the ADEY UKAS accredited laboratory, and a detailed report was produced with the findings.  The ADEY System Diagnostics Test Kit tests for 11 water quality parameters: pH, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids (by calculation), Total Suspended Solids, Chloride, Zinc, Nitrite, Dissolved Aluminium, Dissolved Copper, Dissolved Iron, and Molybdenum as Molybdate. If extended testing is required, ADEY will investigate and measure further parameters as appropriate.  Simple on-site tests can be undertaken to test for pH, inhibitor, and glycol levels, though they are rudimentary and more detailed testing is highly recommended.

The University system test results were returned to the ADEY Commercial team, who personally interpreted and delivered the findings to the client, along with recommendations for remedial action to improve system health. 

Following system water analysis, it was identified that system issues at the University plant room in question were due to severe corrosion and debris issues – Y strainers were completely blocked, preventing water from flowing through the chillers. Following recommendations from ADEY Commercial, the University decided not to replace the chillers at significant expense, and instead chose to proceed with the installation of effective magnetic and non-magnetic filtration, alongside chemical water treatment to clean the system and prevent further issues. 

System testing continued to be carried out quarterly to monitor changes in water quality, and twelve months following initial treatment, evidence showed that all three chillers were working effectively.

This example applies to only one of a total of 23 plant rooms at the University – the remaining 22 plant rooms were then similarly tested and treated to achieve adherence to BSRIA guidelines.  

The cost of the chosen water treatment solutions compared to the potential significant expenditure on chiller replacement and repairs meant that funds could be redirected to other crucial activity at the University.

This is a typical example where the costs of not testing, identifying and treating system issues are very often much greater than ignoring them and encountering expensive maintenance and breakdowns.

For further information about ADEY Commercial sealed system solutions, contact commercial@adey.com or telephone 01242 546 700